The Story of My Life (goes on forever with you)
by horselover981
Summary: "No matter what, Jack Frost, you are part of me. I don't know how or why, I just know that we have met before. I know that we are destined to be together, that our fates are intertwined, that this is not the last time I will see you. But I will remember the pain. Which is...why I need to shut you out. But dare I have hope that the next time be different? Perhaps..."
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first POSTED fanfiction, and, as some of you may recognize by the title, I have not come up with this by myself. This story originally comes from Pearlness4700, and she let me 'adopt' this story, and I'm very excited about continuing this! Ok, so, this chapter is still the same, I'm just changing the authors note... So, without further ado, The story of my life:

I sit all alone in the empty graveyard, tears spilling uncontrollably down my face.

"Why?" I whisper in a raspy voice.

Why did this have to happen? I knew that this was bound to happen, I just didn't think that it would happen like this, so soon.

A hand rests on my shoulder and I jump.

I look up to find a familiar face.

Anna, with her sullen face and braided pigtails, mourning for a boy she had no connection to.

I just look at her.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," she says to me.

I sob once, one heartbreaking cry, and fall into her arms.

He was just a boy! Only twelve years old! Why did this have to happen to him?

I am a queen. Why should I care?

But the little boy had changed me. Something in his heartwarming smile and fun loving freedom.

"Let's go play, Queen Elsa!" He would call, grabbing my hand in his tiny and frail one, rushing out so I could make the first snowfall, or a miniature ice rink.

Now this.

Why? I ask myself.

He was such a good little boy. He didn't deserve to have life taken away.

"You really loved that little boy," Anna mumbles, just stating a fact.

I sniff, nodding.

"He was like a younger brother?" she asks.

I think for a moment.

Not really. Did all older siblings carry this much love for their younger ones?

I knew that I loved Anna, but not like this.

No.

My love for this little boy was stronger. More like...

The bond between mother and child is unbreakable.

I may have been only twenty-four at that time, but three years ago, Arendelle had thought that I was a monster. I nearly-had!- froze Anna, for pete's sake! But this little boy... He was different. In all ways.

With his adorable chocolate eyes and ruffled brown hair and toothy smile, he was just so innocent.

"More like a mother," I murmur.

I look over her shoulder to read the grave one last time.

Jackson Overland

Died of rare and incurable disease

May he be remembered forever

Our little miracle

1854-1866

I am crying at my window sill.

He never came back.

I open my palm, letting a single snowflake out into the air.

Suddenly, the whole window frosts over.

I yelp, jumping away.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

I was losing control!

And he was never coming back.

The man had been so kind. He had the same powers as me. He taught me to have fun. He taught me that it was okay to let it go. He taught me that I wasn't a monster.

He promised that everything would be okay.

But it wasn't.

Now, I have to move out of Anna's and my room, all alone, because I couldn't control them. So what if they had been getting stronger? Anna and me, or Jack and me, we had fun with them.

But no more fun for me.

Jack is gone, Anna has to be shut out, and I am all alone.

I curl up in a ball by the window sill, shamelessly bawling my eyes out.

Jack isn't coming back. The one person who would ever be like me. But he is immortal. I was only a child. How could I ever understand anything more than the fact that he was never coming back?

How is it fair that an eight-year-old should have to go through this?

I sob harder, wishing that it would all just end.

What?

But... He had just talked to me this morning! How could he be...

No. No, Elsa, this can't be right! I know that Pippa did not just come running over to your hut and choke out that Jack was...

Oh God.

"Pippa, what?" I respond.

"Jack's...Jack's dead!" she repeats through sobs.

I gasp, taking a step back.

How can he be dead? He's only seventeen! That's too young to die!

He was my best friend, how could he leave me?

I cringe when I realize that I just referred to him in the past tense.

The whole village hosts a funeral.

I can sense the sadness as it weighs heavily upon us like a thick blanket of fog.

My eyes water as I stand next to my mother, clad in black with a black lace veil over my eyes.

I told him. I told him.

He had asked if I wanted to go skating with him and Pippa that morning. And I had told him that it was too warm to go skating.

Why hadn't he listened?

The only good thing that I can see of his death is that Pippa lived. I don't think he could have gone on knowing that Pippa had died instead of him. That is my only condolence for the time being.

Oh, Jack. Jack, I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. I'm sorry that I was the one to made you angry that one time. I'm sorry that you're not here now to hear what I'm thinking.

I'm sorry that I ran away yesterday instead of telling you that I felt the same way.

"It's just that...I love you!"

And then he had kissed me.

Kissed me.

And I slipped away, running, scared, because I was afraid of the fact that I felt the same way.

And now I can never tell him how sorry I was.

But Jack, wherever you are, can you hear me now? Because I love you. I do. I love you, and I'm sorry I never got to say those words to you. I love you, I love you, I love you.

Suddenly, I think of all of those dreams. They only started happening a few weeks ago.

All of this, it was familiar.

Not just this, but Jack's death.

Jack had died before...and I had been there. Grieving. Mourning. But always left behind.

I look up to the sky, the full moon shining down on us in all of its glory.

No matter what, Jack Frost, you are part of me. I don't know how or why, I just know that we have met before. I know that we are destined to be together, that our fates are intertwined, that this is not the last time I will see you. But I will remember the pain. Which is why I won't let it go.

Why I can't let it go.

Why I need to shut you out.

Somehow, we will meet again. I am sure of it. How, I do not know. When, I do not know. Where, I do not know. I'm not exactly sure of anything anymore. Just this morning, I was sure that you were a simple child in an aging man's body, taking his sister to skate on the warm ice. Though I had warned you it would be dangerous, I had thought that you would return. Safe. You didn't. Now my world is crashing down.

But my world had come crashing down many times.

Why now, why this lifetime, that I remember?

What was so different about this meeting?

Always, you have died. In one way or another. And I am left. How is that fair, answer me.

We will meet again, you and I.

But dare I have hope that the next time be different? Perhaps...

And then I wake up.

I'm in my bed, I'm in my pajamas, I don't have any kind of snow powers, and I'm completely soaked in sweat.

I gulp down air as I sit up in bed, grasping for my bottle of water.

I always have those dreams. Nightmares, I call them, even if they aren't scary.

But they always have him in them. Why, I do not know. But the dreams feel so real.

It's almost scary.

I look down at my clock.

4:03, it reads.

I have the dreams every night. They're always like that. And he is always there.

Sometimes it's different. Sometimes he's just a boy, and I am the Queen of Arendelle, sometimes he is an immortal spirit, and I am just a small child, trying to contain her ice powers.

The powers...

In some of the dreams, both of us have powers. Some, only I have powers. Those are the times when he has brown hair and brown eyes.

But whatever the scene, whatever the age difference, whatever the type of love, the love is always there. It feels so real it physically hurts me.

And whatever it is, it always ends with him dying.

And me left behind to grieve and move on.

It hurts so much.

I suppose I'm being rude. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elsa Arendelle (yes, like the place occasionally in my dreams), I am sixteen years old, I am so pale I probably look like a vampire, I have blue eyes, platinum blonde hair (somehow. I don't know how, both of my parents were brunettes), and the only time I get noticed in school is when the popular kids bully me.

I don't mind, much. Papa always told me to be the bigger person, to conceal, don't feel.

It made sense then, it makes sense now.

I turn over to flip on my lamp on the nightstand.

It burns my eyes but I ignore it.

I stretch, getting up and daring to look at myself in the mirror.

My eyes are bloodshot, I have deep dark bags under my eyes, and I am absolutely horrendous looking.

Some people, like my sister, always say that I am stunningly beautiful. I don't see it. I just see a white haired freak who can't keep her life together.

My blue pajamas are wrinkled and faded, so I might as well just start getting ready for school.

Somehow, I find myself sitting down on my bed, pulling out my sketchbook, slipping on my oversized glasses, and drawing.

Okay, maybe I should say a few main things you should know about me. We've got the basics, I am an utterly un-fascinating and dull person who has dreams about the various deaths of the most popular guy in my school. Other than that, I love winter, I love to draw, I hate having my hair down in front of others (seriously, it's gotten so bad that I'll grab my hair back in a ponytail with my hand if my sister so much as knocks on the bathroom door), and I wear glasses.

But, I'm not too un-fascinating, if someone got to know me. I'm a quite confusing person, really. For instance, I bet you wouldn't guess that I will stay up all night just to see the first snowfall (even though it never snows here), or that I'm actually quite talented at drawing (though you wouldn't know based on art class), or that I actually love having my hair down, or that I have twenty-twenty vision.

I'm guessing the last one threw you for the biggest loop, so I'll explain that one.

Yes, I have perfect vision, but at school, I'm always reading or drawing and I like having the glasses. I have them so much I'll just wear them on the bridge of my nose if I'm not using them. At home, I'll even slide them on top of my head like a headband, but I would never do that at school. I'm never seen without them when I'm not swimming or showering.

The second, I guess, is also questionable.

Though I do love having my hair down, I just don't wear it down. For some reason, it twists my stomach in an aching way. It's one of those things that I never do. Like how some girls never leave the house without a pound of makeup or how some boys have a thing against jeans. No one questions them about the things they never do and yet I'm one being criticized because I never wear my hair in any other fashion.

I look down at my sketchbook, surprised to find a creepily accurate drawing of a lake surrounded with people clad in black. The wind is formed where it intertwines, forming a delicate and tiny heart in the corner of the page.

It was the last dream.

That dream was the one that was the strongest. Some of them were faded and I couldn't see them that well. But this one was so sharp, if it were a knife you would cut your hand on it just by looking at it.

Why that one was the strongest, I did not know.

I could remember the most with that one.

In that scene, Jack had had brown hair and brown eyes, he had been seventeen, and he did not have powers. I had slightly lighter hair that I kept cut just below my shoulders, and it had always been down with flowers entangled in it. That was the only time that I could think of that the kind of love that was in my dreams was in any way romantic. It also happened to be the only one where both of us had no powers.

I take a deep breath, sliding my sketchbook into my shoulder bag.

4:32, the clock reads.

It must be light outside now, so I go over to my curtains and open them for the first time in a long while.

That's strange.

The light across from my window is on.

Perhaps I should mention something.

The most popular guy in my school, the athlete, the smart guy, the bad boy, also known as the guy who haunts my dreams with his death, also known as Jack Frost, lives across from me.

Our two small but nice houses are positioned where I can see right into his bedroom, and vice versa.

I remember back in middle school, when I first moved to town, when I wasn't so terribly shy and cut off from the world, we were friends, sort of. We didn't talk much in school, but we would stay up late writing on giant sketchpads to each other from our windows. I swear, Jack had known me better than my sister. But that was before high school. That was before I stopped responding to his messages and quirky smile. Before I shut the world out with my thick drapes and cold attire.

I let the glasses slip a little, and blush heavily when I realize that Jack is sitting on his bed, face looking down...shirtless.

He must have caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.

Jack isn't embarrassed for me to see him like this. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not, maybe it would have made things even more awkward, but he just smiles at me, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

Thank God I sleep in a braid.

I'm pretty sure not one living soul has seen me with my hair down or without my glasses since before high school.

He gets up, leaving my viewpoint.

I wait for a second, and am about to leave when he comes back.

He has a heavy Sharpie marker in his right hand, the same large silver marker, with the same large sketchpad from before.

He turns it around with a sideways smile, and I can't help but turn the corners of my mouth up a bit.

Bad dreams? The paper says.

I glance at the abandoned sketchpad in the corner of my room.

Maybe...

Don't do it, Elsa...

I grab a regular Sharpie, a blue one, for me. I wonder if he meant to use the heavy duty silver Sharpie. Whether he did or not, I might as well keep up the old tradition and use my perfect teal blue one.

How did you know? I draw out in elegant handwriting.

Jack reads it before scribbling something down. His handwriting was always legible, but that was about it. It's the same now.

He pauses halfway through writing, staring at the paper as if he's deciding whether or not to write what he was going to write originally.

Then, he picks up his speedy scribble, turning it towards me.

I could hear you crying.

I smile with a bittersweet edge.

So what are you doing up at this hour?

I don't really know, he writes back.

Well that's reasonable.

Haha, very funny.

He smiles, turning back to his sketchpad.

Do you have any plans for anything?

I shake my head 'no' in response, but begin to write something down afterwards.

So you're not doing anything important?

No

Good. In that case, could you go put a shirt on?

I'm trying not to blush as I show this message, but either way, I'm going to be uncomfortable. Might as well get something out of being embarrassed.

I see him read the message and throw his head back in laughter.

Well great, that helps with my blush a lot.

He walks off, returning a moment later, this time with a dark grey V-Neck T-Shirt on.

Shit, when did Jack get hot? I wonder before I can brush away the thought.

I blush even harder, chasing it deep into my mind and locking those kinds of forbidden thoughts away where they belong. I don't allow myself to think about those kinds of things. What kind of boy in his right mind would be interested in a white haired freak like me?

He's smirking when he holds up his next message.

Better?

Thank you, is all I can think of to write back.

You're cute when you're flustered.

Flattery only gets you so far in life.

I see him chuckle to that right before I hide my scarlet face.

You know, most girls would die to have me as their next door neighbor and catch a sight of me shirtless.

Good thing I'm not most girls, I write back, unsure of what to really to say to that.

When I have doubts, I'll slip into a cold personality, relying heavily on sarcasm. Well, except around the popular crowd. Then, it's best to just stay quiet. But Jack was never one to join in on the bullying. Maybe he was different.

No, you most certainly are not, his paper reads when I look over at it.

I don't know what to say to that. Was it a compliment? Or was he mocking me? I don't know these things! Anna's the one who specializes in the 'boy' department of things. The closest I come to talking to boys is to tell them to leave me alone.

Well, except for Jack...

But this is the first time we've really "talked" since middle school, so I guess it doesn't really count.

I decide to just laugh it off lightly and respond with, Go get ready for school, Frost.

He laughs again, writing back, Yes ma'am, Arendelle.

I roll my eyes, but don't respond.

I stand on my tip-toes to close the curtains, shutting out the world once again. Maybe even shutting out this memory of feeling remotely wanted.

I go over to my closet and pull on a long sleeve blue sweater and some dark navy blue jeans. I slip on a pair of knee high tan pull on boots and finish it off with my signature French braid, which I sweep over my right shoulder.

At six fifty, I creep over to Anna's door for the fourth time and knock on it, slowly entering.

"Wake up, princess," I say, smiling with my arms folded and leaning against the doorway.

She snorts in a very un-graceful way, snapping up before slumping down again.

"Five more minutes, Mom," she slurs sleepily.

My heart pulls when she says that, but she's half sleeping still. I can't blame her for that.

"Sorry to wake you but it's time to get ready, I leave at seven and you only have ten minutes now," I say, hoping that allowing her to sleep in a little (okay, a lot) later than usual won't make us both late.

"What? Oh, no, I've been up for hours! Hm" -yawn- "Ready for what, exactly?"

"The...first day of school...?"

Was this the same girl who had been chattering endlessly about her first year as a freshman just last night and, oh, just about the entire freaking summer vacation?

"First...day...of school..." she smacks her lips subconsciously, cracking her eyes open a little. Suddenly, she jumps, excited and perky. "It's the first day of school!"

I have never seen her so excited and active before.

In seven minutes flat she is dressed with half of her makeup on, shoving a slice of toast into her mouth and dragging me to the car.

"Let's go, Ells!" She calls my little nickname out as she rummages through her purse for various items.

"I'm on it, sheesh," I mutter, roaring the engine to life. But I secretly smile at the memory.

When Anna was younger, she couldn't pronounce my name very well. She'd always call me 'Ells Bells' because reason one; she could say it easily and reason two; she liked it because it rhymed. She doesn't call me 'Ells Bells' anymore, but she does still skip out on my real name and just use the first half of the nickname.

I can't help but notice that Jack's car is already gone from the driveway.

Remind me again why I care?

I shift my gaze away, focusing on the road and Anna applying mascara and lip gloss in the rearview window.

As we pull into school, the bell's just about to ring.

"Got to go, have fun, Ells, let it go a little, and, uh, have fun. I should go, I need to go, I...bye!" Anna chirps, running away and slamming the door shut. Almost immediately, she runs into someone.

"Sorry!" She calls, shaking it off and dashing for the main gym where the freshmen meet.

I chuckle to myself, taking my time to head to the second auditorium where the juniors meet.

I rarely ever actually listen to what they tell us. It's all about becoming "mature adults" and "progressing for educational benefit." I have the time to manage straight A's in all AP classes. I think I deserve to zone out on the speeches.

"Alright, juniors, have fun and please go follow your schedules!"

Orientation was a couple weeks ago and we all got our schedules then. All of the kids mainly came to gossip with their friends about classes, but I had just gotten Anna to get my schedule for me and had planned on being conveniently "absent" the day of makeup photos. Nifty, right?

"What a freak," I hear some girls say loud enough for me to overhear.

"Is that natural?"

"No. She must bleach it. Hideous, if you ask me."

Well no one did, thank you very much.

I bite my tongue to keep from saying anything aloud.

I catch a flash of silver to my right.

On Jack, everyone thought it was "cute" and "hot" to have his natural white and silvery hair with the pale complexion. But on me, it was considered unnatural. Oh well. What do I care? I'd rather be alone with a pencil and a blank sheet of sketch paper anyway.

I see him watching me, but he doesn't make a move to stop his friends when they come to harass me as usual.

Though he doesn't follow or join in with them, it still stings that he doesn't do anything.

More than it normally would.

Was it maybe because we had had a conversation this morning?

I don't know, but I guess that's what I get.

I can't expect him to change just like that after three years of doing nothing before.

He didn't care then, he wouldn't care now.

And why would he?

Good question.

I hug my book closer to my chest and keep my head low as I speed to my locker before any jocks or popular girls block it.

49, 39, 25...

Click!

I dump some unneeded possessions into it before slamming it closed with my foot.

Though I just rid myself of at least half of my things, my bag is still heavy with books.

Oh well. Best to be over prepared than underprepared, right?

I see Jack again at lunch while I buy my food, but we don't interact. We don't even look at each other.

As I push the door open to the library, I sigh.

Nothing's changed.

I should be happy, right?

After all, this was what I wanted.

Even five years later, I couldn't move on from my parent's death. In fact, I had probably gotten worse.

I guess the dreams about Jack's multiple deaths only added to my stack of problems.

Just add it to the list, Elsa, I think.

I don't want my little peace to end, but the bell rings, signaling sixth period.

I open the door and step into the halls.

It's not a moment later that someone trips me and some jocks dump me in a trash can.

Welcome to my life.

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Please feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review!

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi! Chapter 2! We've made it this far! Feel free to ask questions in the reviews! Thanks!**

I sit all alone in the trash can. I would get out but that would mean I'd have to face the taunts of the other students.

Why does everything have to turn out like this?

And when I say everything, I mean more than being dumped in a trash can.

I was a good girl, I had never done anything wrong, never broken the rules, always strived to be the best, never got in trouble. And yet, they were still killed. I was still left alone to fend for myself and Anna.

And we had to come here.

It just wasn't fair.

None of this was fair.

I feel tears prickle my eyes, and I wipe the burning sensation away.

_Conceal, Elsa, don't feel. Don't let them get to you._

Right. I won't let them get to me. I just have to put on a brave face and deal with it, just like I always do.

I sigh, heaving myself out of the trash can.

What an embarrassment I must look like. Crawling out of the trash can like this.

"No dignity, no remorse, and absolutely no intention of ever doing or saying anything back. How pathetic," I mumble to myself. What? I had no one else to talk to. Might as well talk to myself.

"Yes, yes, whatever," I respond to myself.

"Talk to yourself often, do you?" Someone who was not me asks, startling me.

"What the-" I cut off, taking a deep breath.

I look over to find someone that I really wish I didn't.

Of course it's Jack Frost.

"Oh. It's just you," I say coldly, leaning back in the trash to grab my things.

"Just me? Ouch, Arendelle, I'm a little hurt," he jokes from behind me.

"Oh cry me a river," I mumble so that he won't hear.

"What was that?"

"I said what are you doing here?" I say louder.

"Cutting class. Happened to see the infamous Queen of Isolation on the way out."

I find my bag, snapping up alertly.

"Queen of Isolation?" I raise my eyebrow questioning. The name bothers me but I won't let it show.

"Don't you ever hear the rumors?" He asks, bored, and leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

"Actually, I find them quite tedious," I say, brushing past him. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Tsk tsk tsk, so polite, Arendelle."

"You could use a touch up on manners yourself, Frost," I retort, glancing over my shoulder.

"I find myself perfect and I think there's a multitude of people in this school who would agree," he smiles and holds his hands out as if accepting defeat, even though he's defending himself. Rather vainly, if you ask me.

"Yeah, well, this school's not exactly what you'd call educationally intellectual."

"Come again?"

"Of course, who wouldn't agree?"

I find it quite irking that he's following me down the halls, but this is Jack we're talking about. How do I get rid of him?

"Well, since you find it so-"

I stop in the middle of the hallway, cutting him off midsentence and midstride.

"Jack, if you're just here to taunt me, please do so," I say bluntly.

"What?"

"I said, if-"

"I know what you said. I just can't believe it."

"What? That I found out why you're here, that I'm a complete loser, that I have no-"

"No. Just that you think I'd stoop that low."

His response surprises me. So, if he's not here to bully me, then what is he here for?

"Well, from previous experiences, that's exactly what you're here for. But, if you are not, then what are you?"

He shrugs. What I can't believe is that he actually seemed hurt when I told him to just get it over with.

Was the world turning upside down today?

"Ja-ack!" Someone calls from down the hallway.

We immediately recognize the voice, and while Jack smiles halfheartedly, I make a dash for the nearest empty classroom.

"What are you-"

But I slam the door shut.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear two footsteps echo away down the hall.

They left.

I can't and won't deal with Jack's girlfriend, Vanessa.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so scared. She never seems to tease me when Jack's around. I'm wondering if it's from lack of interest, coincidence, or other, but, either way, she doesn't. That doesn't mean I'm not shaking in my boots from her.

Once I am positive they have left, only then do I come out from the empty classroom.

After a few moments to clean up and reset myself, I head off to AP History to get through the rest of the day.

Anna had just confirmed to me that she would get a ride from one of her friends, so I am free to drive home by myself. Yippee.

When I get home, I dump my things off in my room, and, with nothing else to do, I decide to go for a walk.

So far, it's been a rather lonely walk. Lonely, but peaceful.

And I am more than willing to sacrifice happiness for contentment.

I breathe in the scent of the fading summer. Believe it or not, summer was over. It was this year, then one more year, and I was free. Free to dive headfirst into the world of grownups. Lucky me.

I find an empty park bench along the sidewalk. It's a good thing the house is in walking distance to most everything in this small town. It made things easier to get around without needing a car. Especially a car that didn't work half the time anyways. I was trying to get a job but to no avail, yet. Cars were expensive, and walking did everyone just fine.

Not a lot of people wanted to hire someone who was only a few months after sixteen.

I sigh, wishing that things could always be this peaceful.

"Nice, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is," I say.

Then I realize that someone just spoke. To _me._

"Whoa," I gasp, jumping off the seat.

The man turns to me, a nice and genuine smile across his face. The stranger is actually quite handsome.

It isn't until I really see him that I recognize him.

"Hans Westerguard," I spit.

"Elsa Arendelle," he replies coldly, but nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?" I fold my arms and rest on one foot.

"Was in the neighborhood."

"Bullshit," I say to that.

Hans gets up and starts walking towards me.

I'm ashamed when I immediately take a step back.

Hans notices as well and chuckles. I narrow my eyes further, but it's mainly to hide the settling fear growing in my eyes.

I'm terrified that he knows it.

"So, when you left last time-"

"We're different people, Hans. We're not so oblivious anymore," I say. He keeps walking forward and I keep inching back. I hate letting him push me around like this but I'd rather this than let that snake within a two foot diameter to me.

Suddenly, my back hits something rough and hard and wide.

Shit.

I try to back around the tree I just ran into but he's too close and I don't want my back to him.

What do I do?

"You know, Anna was pretty naïve. She was ready to head full in."

I feel a new fire ignite in me, and I step towards him.

"Listen, Hans. You better leave Anna out of...whatever it is you want. We're through with you, we don't need you, and I don't want to tell you twice," I grill into his face, feeling an immense amount of pride when he's the one taking a few steps back. They may be tiny steps, but they're steps away from me all the same. Perhaps he can see the fire in my ice cold eyes. Hans may be a cheating, lying weasel but he isn't dumb.

"All I'm saying is if you want your rank back, it's yours," he holds up his hands.

I narrow my eyes once again, but this time, it's not to hide fear.

"I'd rather die," I spit.

"Ouch. That hurt, Snow Queen."

I cringe at the title, but I won't let him get under my skin.

"Leave, Hans. You taught me well, I will not hesitate to use everything you gave me."

"Well that killed me," he says, faking hurt.

"May you rest in hell," is all I say to that.

"Think about it, Elsa."

I cringe again. What is with me? I don't want him calling me the 'Snow Queen' anymore, but I hate my name on his tongue as well. What exactly was he supposed to call me then? Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. He won't need to be calling me anything. Hans is out of my-our, life. For good. That much is for sure.

Hans seems to disappear into what little shadows are scattered around the sidewalk, leaving me alone.

When he does leave, I back up until I hit the tree again. Then, I slide down it, despite the bark pulling at my sweater. I rest my head between my knees and give in to the burning tears hiding behind my eyes.

Just because no one gets to see my tears doesn't mean they're not there.

But I won't let Hans of all people ruin us. By 'us' I mean Anna and I, of course. He wants us back? Good. I won't let him in. Never again. I couldn't be caught dead with the man who broke my sister's heart.

_~flashback~_

_Anna is good with those facts. Which is strange, seeing as she was the most oblivious person I know. But she had a way with them, that I had to admit._

_Someone knocks outside the door, and I call out, "Come in Anna."_

_But it isn't Anna who comes in._

_"Elsa," Hans greets._

_I stiffen, pulling my regal posture together._

_"Hans," I say, equally as blunt and curt._

_"So, how are things going?"_

_"Fine, we're settling fine."_

_"Good," he says. I watch him closely. I don't like the glint in his eyes. I never had, but he took us in, I had to be grateful. But that didn't mean I couldn't be wary._

_"So..."_

_What happens next is too much of a blur._

_Hans suddenly makes a move to me, and I dash away, quick as a bullet._

_I don't think I want to know his intentions, but all that I remember of that moment is that he tried to make a pass at me, _me,_ while he was dating my baby sister (not that I was really okay with that but it still happened). How dare he?_

_Suddenly, I had pinned him to the floor, and he had grappled with me until we were face to face._

_Again, a bit more of a blur, but I remember that I won._

_I dueled with _the _Hans Westerguard and came up victorious._

_All I knew of what happened afterwards was that when Anna, with her tear streaked face, and me, with my disheveled trust, woke to find that we were alone. Well, as alone as surrounded by cops could be._

_That damn Hans had framed us and hit the road._

_~end flashback~_

Luckily, Hans wasn't good enough and we got out of the whole mess clean, but that was how we got into the foster system. It wasn't soon before a foster family took us in, landing us here, in Burgess. Where Anna and I could forget the hurt and betrayal that came with being with Hans.

But that was also when the dreams started taking place.

It was a little bit embarrassing, having dreams about the handsome next-door neighbor you had glimpsed through your window, which was probably why to this day I had never told anyone about the dreams.

But they were- are- hauntingly real, and they scare the crap out of me.

Jack and I had become a sort of friends, the closest thing to a friend I had, at least. It had hurt when...

But that was what I wanted, right? It was just too painful.

The only good thing is that Anna doesn't remember a thing.

Why did Hans come here in the first place? Well, obviously to get us back, but we told that dirtbag we wanted nothing from him. And look what he gave us.

I used to think that I wouldn't ever hate anyone. 'Hate' is just a strong word. But I know right now that I hate Hans Westerguard. With a burning passion. I hope he stays out of Anna's and my life.

We're better off without him.

"Elsa?" Someone calls.

I shake and rattle with tears, but I can't bring myself to look up at who had called at me.

"Elsa, oh my God, Elsa!"

Someone falls to the ground in front of me, and I somehow find the strength to lift my head.

The girl in front of me has concern filled in her large teal eyes. She wears a pink-ish jacket, a light blue blouse, a black lace tank top over it, royal blue jeans, and black mid-calf boots. Her face is scattered with freckles, though not as many as you would expect for someone with her strawberry blonde/ginger colored hair that she has in two braided pigtails.

She looks way older than thirteen, way older than my optimistic baby sister should be.

Anna.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

I try to speak, but the words get caught in my throat.

She leans in farther, pulling me in a tight hug. I sob into her shoulder, burning with shame for letting her see me like this.

"It's okay," she croons in her ear, holding me.

I sniff, pulling myself together.

"I-I'm fine," I say.

"What happened?" She asks.

I take a deep, shaky breath, and tell her. "He came."

Anna's features immediately harden, and she balls her fists in anger.

"He...dared...to come...to us?" She says through gritted teeth.

"Relax, Anna, he won't come back-" I hope "-He's-he's gone from our lives, okay?"

Anna's the one shaking now, and even though she's fuming mad, her eyes tell me otherwise.

Her eyes are filled with fear.

"Hey, it's okay," I say to her, this time I'm the one pulling her in for a comforting hug.

"Oh God, Elsa, what are we going to do?"

"Hey. The past is in the past. Hans is smarter than to keep pursuing us. He must have just wanted..."

"Exactly. How-"

"It's okay, Anna. We'll figure it out. We always do, remember? It's just me and you, okay?"

She wipes away a single tear that has slid down her face, and nods.

"Me and you," she repeats firmly.

"Come on," I say, getting up and pulling her with me.

She stands, looking very small and childish all of a sudden.

I hold her to my side and walk on, keeping her tight.

It was always me and Anna against the world. It always will be. That's the way things are.

The Arendelle sisters. We stick together because, well, we're all each other has. Ever since Mom and Dad had died, we were left.

Even though we have help now, it's still just the two of us, in our own world.

Anna handles things much better than I do. She goes out into the world, meets people, opens up, has friends. Which is incredible, if you ask me, considering she's the one who was the most betrayed. But she doesn't let that get in her way of living her life.

Sometimes, I wish I could be like Anna.

I can't help it if I want to shut the world out, or if I just want to be alone with my sketchbook. People don't belong in my world. They just end up getting hurt.

The only one who belongs right by my side is Anna, but that's only because she's strong and I love her too much to push her out, even though I gave it my best shot. But I still hold her at arm's length away.

It's just safer.

I'm such a monster.

I hurt everyone I care about. And the only solution is to not have anyone to care for.

It's just easier that way.

Anna and I walk in the front door, and she makes a beeline for the kitchen. Most likely to find some chocolate.

I smile to myself, making my way up to my room.

When I get to my room, it's flooding with light.

I squint my eyes, looking away.

Someone came in and opened the curtains. I hate it when they do that!

I immediately go to close them, but something catches me eye.

In Jack's room, I see two people on the bed, furiously...making out.

Oh my God.

I blush, closing them as quickly as I can.

Thank God no one saw me.

I close my eyes.

That was so embarrassing!

"It's okay, breathe in, breathe out, take it easy, Elsa," I mutter, pacing my room and urging the heat in my face to calm down.

"Get over it, it was just the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you in like, ever, but no one saw, it's okay." I hold my hands out, confirming my spoken thoughts.

_Get a grip, girl._

I sigh, sitting on my bed and pulling out my homework.

Soon enough, I look over at the clock and see that it's six.

Anna and I are probably on our own for dinner tonight.

I purse my lips, debating my options.

My homework is finished, and I really want to finish this one drawing I had started yesterday.

My stomach growls.

Dinner can wait. Or be excused all together.

I retrieve my sketchbook and pencil, shoving the pencil behind my ear.

I sink back onto my bed, adding shadings and detail to the picture of a grove of trees, with a wooden shepherd's crook floating in the moonlight. Why I would think to draw such a thing I have no idea.

Maybe it's because whenever Jack has powers in my dreams, he almost always has this exact staff to channel his powers.

I look over to my curtains, knawing on my pencil.

The lighting isn't exactly great in my room at the time, and I probably shouldn't draw in the dark.

All of a sudden, my bed looks very inviting.

But I have work to do. Self appointed work but work all the same.

I get up and go over to my desk, plopping down and placing my sketchbook in the center.

I flick on the lamp and continue with my drawing.

_"Jack, please, you have to do something, she's dying!" A man pleads. He holds a small bundle in his arms out to Jack._

_Jack is resting on top of his staff._

_"What can I do? I can't save her!" He exclaims, looking deeply troubled._

_"Please. Please do something," the man says, looking up at Jack._

_Jack looks down at the baby, and something shifts in his eyes._

_The baby is tiny, fragile. She has a small tuft of brown hair. Her eyes are closed but they are most likely brown. Her skin is pale and weak looking._

_"What do I do?" He asks, staring down at her._

_"Please do something, anything, I beg you, Jack. You can save her, I know you can. I believe in you," the man whispers the last part, and Jack peaks out at him, his gaze confused._

_Jack shakily takes out his hand, and slowly, slowly, rests it on the sleeping baby's forehead, small and delicate snowflakes trailing out from his hand._

_A shower of snowflakes comes out, exploding in a beautiful display of snow._

_For a moment, the snowflakes fall down and surround the baby. It becomes so bright that Jack and the man look away for a second. When they open their eyes, the baby sneezes._

_She then opens her eyes, staring back at the two men._

_But the men aren't looking at the baby in particular. They're looking at her features._

_The baby's brown hair has now grown and is a silvery white. Her eyes are large, full...and a deep, icy blue._

_But other than that, she was wiggling around, happy, and undoubtedly healthy._

_A woman then comes out. She has short copper hair and kind but tired eyes._

_"Pippa!" The man says, handing the baby to a surprised Jack and running over to help the woman._

_Jack stares down at the baby as if it has grown a second head._

_He continues to stare wide eyed at her until the man comes back, with his possible wife in tow._

_"Jack?" The man asks._

_Jack doesn't say anything._

_"Jack?"_

_"She...She sees me," Jack breathes._

_The man suddenly understands, and smiles._

_"It's because of you, Jack."_

_"You saved her?" The woman pipes up. She looks up at Jack warmly. "Thank you."_

_"I'd do anything for you two," the astonished Jack hands the baby gingerly back into the couple's arms, hopping down from the staff._

_"But really, thank you so much. It's just, we'd been trying for so long, we couldn't lose her," the woman breaks out in tears, collapsing in the man's awaiting arms._

_Jack smiles._

_The man looks back up at Jack._

_"Thank you," he says._

_"I didn't really do anything, at least, nothing that I knew of. But of course. Anything for my first believer," Jack smiled and ruffled the man's hair as if he were an eleven-year-old. "So, what's her name?"_

_The man looks down at the baby, smiling._

_"Elsa," he says. "Her name is Elsa."_

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

_I blink open my eyes to the morning light._

_Oh no, not again._

_My room is frozen over._

_I must have had a nightmare last night._

_No. Please, this can't be happening._

_I run to my window to shut the blinds before anyone gets the chance to peer in, even though I'm on the second story, but I stop._

_A wide smile graces my lips when I see what's waiting outside._

_My backyard is covered in a thick blanket of snow._

_I giggle, running down the stairs while simultaneously pulling my winter coat on._

_I almost run into someone on the way down._

_"Whoa, easy there!" Someone says, and I can hear a smile on her lips._

_"Sorry Aunt Soph!" I call, too busy running outside._

_"Hey! Wait a second!"_

_"But I-"_

_"Come here and put your scarf on, like your father always said, you don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose," Aunt Sophie smiles, wrapping my scarf around my neck._

_I giggle again. He told me that she was too young to remember what happened long ago, and that, over time, she stopped believing. But my parents never stopped believing. Even until the day they died, they believed. And so will I._

_But Aunt Sophie doesn't need to know that now, does she?_

_I run out, slamming the door behind me._

_I drop my sled, slowly and cautiously walking out._

_Something cold hits me in the back of my neck as soon as I turn around._

_"Jack!" I call, laughing._

_I hear him laughing from the tree._

_"Oh, you're going to get it," I threaten, creeping up on the unaware winter spirit._

_I wave my hands and a perfect snowball forms in my hand._

_I toss it up and down one time before aiming and throwing._

_It hits him right in the face._

_I'm the one bursting out laughing when he falls to the ground._

_He can fly, he's not hurt. Plus, it's not the first time he's fallen out of the tree._

_"Not bad for a twelve year old girl, huh Jack Frost?" I ask tauntingly, tossing another perfectly formed snowball up and down on my hand._

_He gets up, chuckling._

_"Alright, I'll admit, not bad. I see you're getting that snowball forming thing down."_

_I throw the snowball at him. It doesn't hit him in the face again but it does whack him in the shoulder._

_"And don't you forget it," I smirk, giving my own version of seemingly the only facial expression he knows._

_"Well someone's getting sassy," he says, flying over to me and ruffling my hair._

_"Jack," I whine but I'm laughing._

_"So, how's my little Snow Princess?" He asks, leaning on his knees._

_My smile falters a bit. "Well, it's been a little hard lately, adjusting to this new life without..."_

_"Hey," he says, hugging me. "I miss them too. Are the dreams getting any better?"_

_"N-not exactly," my voice is a harsh whisper as I try to melt into the snow._

_"Did you try to thaw it?" he sighs._

_"I-no-I didn't want-" I cut off abruptly, looking down. "I didn't want to make it worse."_

_"Well, come on, let's go fix it," he says, lifting me up and placing me on his shoulders._

_I fit there better two years ago, but I don't disapprove. Jack is my best friend in the entire world, the only one who gets me, the only one who is like me. And I owe him my world._

_After all, he did save my life as a baby._

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

_I slip on the gloves, taking a deep breath._

_I try not to cry as I stare out the window._

_It's a winter wonderland outside, but I am not going to be the one to enjoy it all._

_Jack, it's my twenty-first birthday today, don't you know? Why haven't you come to see me in seven years?_

_Were you just a figment of my imagination that I imagined, an idea from my parents?_

_If you were real, you wouldn't have left me all alone._

_I'm an adult, now, Jack. Well, technically, I have been for a while, but, still._

_I wish you were here._

_But I won't admit it._

_Something frosts over the window, and I gasp and leap back._

_A snowflake forms in the window, drawn out._

_It suddenly peels off the window, floating around me in midair._

_He's here._

_He's here..._

_Then why don't I want him here?_

_Is it because the betrayal of him leaving me stung so much?_

_"Jack Frost," I announce coldly._

_He laughs behind me._

_"Hello my Snow Princess," he greets, with that ever present smirk._

_"Hello, and that's _Queen _to you, I'm at least four years older than you," I snap._

_"Fine, fine, and, for the record, you can't be older than three hundred and fifty-five years old."_

_I sigh. "No matter what, you are always going to be seventeen, Jack."_

_"But that doesn't change how, technically speaking, old I am," he smirked._

_"Fine. Whatever. Just, nice seeing you, now, please leave," I turn away, glaring at my wall._

_The wall freezes over._

_"What's gotten into you?"_

_"I-...no," I mumble, taking a step away from the wall._

_"Elsa?"_

_"Stay away from me," I choke out, facing him for a moment._

_"Elsa, what's-"_

_"Stay away!" I cry, cowering in the corner of my room._

_"Elsa?" Aunt Sophie calls from downstairs. "Who are you talking to?"_

_"N-no one Aunt Soph! I'm fine!" I call back down, praying that I sound convincing._

_"What's with all of these boxes, Elsa?" Jack asks, levitating upside down._

_"If you must know, I'm moving," I say, smacking his hand away from a partially opened box._

_"Moving? Sounds fun," he says._

_"It's not fun, it's what adults do, Jack. I'm a grown up, I'm moving. And you're not following."_

_"What?" He looks taken back._

_"You can't come. And what do you care anyways? You're the one who left me for seven freaking years!"_

_"What? I- no, I didn't mean to-"_

_"And then you come back hoping that everything will be the same? Oh the nerve of you! I don't ever want to see you again!" I say as loudly as I dare._

_"I- Elsa, don't-"_

_"Get out. I don't believe in you."_

_His eyes widen. "Elsa, you don't mean that."_

_"You're just an imaginary friend that I devised up of and now I can't get rid of. I can't control my powers, they're consuming me. I don't want to hurt anyone. Now get out." I say, trying to sound firm._

_"Elsa, please-"_

_I drop to the ground, leaning against the wall with my gloved hands covering my ears with my eyes squeezed shut._

_"I don't believe in you, I don't believe in you, I don't believe in you..." I chant._

_"Elsa!" Jack runs to me, but when I see him, something inside of me snaps._

_I shut my eyes again, and when I open them, Jack is no longer there._

_I clutch my heart, and I feel it aching. It hurts. Really bad._

_I get up, and suddenly feel a shiver run through my body._

_Somehow, I know it's Jack, but I find that I just don't believe in him anymore._

_I don't know how it worked, but it's for the best. I just hurt everyone I know. Take Aunt Sophie. Just last year she had to be taken to the hospital for an accident that I caused. I could barely stand to look at her- I still can't._

_But I love her. Which is why it's safest for everyone to keep their distance from me._

_Finally, tears flow down my face._

_I glance out the window, and it's snowing._

_I turn and walk away._

_Jack won't be coming back. I had made sure of that._

_I had convinced my heart that I didn't believe in him._

_I might as well have killed him._

I snap awake, whacking my head on something hard.

I moan, stretching out my stiff body. Why was I so sore?

Then I see that I had fallen asleep at my desk.

I rub my head where I had hit it on the lamp and recall last night's dream.

It had just been snippets of the same lifetime. That happened often, actually.

It was kind of rare for me to have dreams of various different lifetimes with him.

This death wasn't so bad, all of the considering. Somehow, I had to "believe in him" for me to see Jack, and then I had simply convinced myself that I didn't. I should be thinking that I don't see the big deal with this dream, that it wasn't as painful, but I'm not.

Something about this death made me hurt beyond imagining. I don't know why, but I can still feel the dull ache in my chest from that one moment when I felt myself snap in two.

I sigh, rubbing my eyes with my hands.

I glance at my clock and it reads, _4:32._

Well, I got...hmm, at least twenty more minutes of sleep than last night.

Normally, I'd wake up somewhere around five-thirty, but that was because of my alarm. It wasn't rare but it wasn't often that I'd wake up with plenty of morning time to spare.

I peak through the curtains to see that it's still dark outside.

I also see Jack is awake, too.

He's lying on his bed, with blue plaid pajama bottoms and...no shirt.

I breathe out. Of course.

He happens to sit up at that time and notice me staring at the sky.

Jack smiles, and waves, leaning over his bed to grab no doubted the sketchpad.

I turn away to grab mine and the blue Sharpie, fully opening the curtains.

_So, what brings you awake today? _Jack's pad reads.

I smile halfheartedly. _Is this a habit of yours, waking up at 4 in the morning shirtless?_

_So you're not completely oblivious to the world_, Jack adds smile.

_I prefer the term ignorant, and what does this have to do with anything, might I ask?_

_No, you may not._

I roll my eyes at his response.

_Fine. Go put a shirt on, Frost_

_Making you uncomfortable, am I?_

_Yes, very_

He laughs, flashing a smile. He did have a nice smile...

Okay, it was okay for me to admit that, right? I mean, Anna had a nice smile, I'd say that out loud. There was nothing wrong with thinking that.

Then why did I feel like I should be chasing that thought and locking it away with the rest of the forbidden thoughts?

_Of course, as your highness wishes_

When he comes back, this time with a white T-shirt, I have another message ready for him.

_Your highness?_

He shrugs. _It suits you_

_Well, Frost, I guess this is when I am supposed to ask you what you are doing here?_

_You could. Or we could skip it and say we did_

_What are you doing up?_

_Don't feel like explaining._

_Alright, I guess I can respect that_

He chuckles, and I look around my room.

Surprisingly, we find quite a few things to talk about as the sun begins to touch the sky.

Suddenly, my phone starts beeping and ringing.

I get up and go over to it.

_2 missed calls from Anna, 3 texts from Anna_

_A: Hey Elsa, you don't need me for anything, right?_

_A: One of my friend's mom is going to pick me up so don't wait on me_

_A: Hello? Ells? At least let me know you're alive_

I go back to my seat in front of the window, with Jack staring at me. I try to ignore him and type a response back to Anna.

_E: Yeah, that's fine. Have fun and be safe_

I look up to see a new message from Jack.

_So how is Anna?_

I smile. _She's fine. She's pretty happy to be starting high school. How about Emma?_

_Good. She's away at friend's houses all the time, and my mom's always busy so I'm pretty much home alone all the time._

Well wasn't that handy. I blush when I recall catching him and Vanessa making out yesterday. There was a reason curtains were invented.

Suddenly, I look over at the time.

I scribble down a message as fast as I can.

_Oh my, I need to go get ready, I'm going to be late!_

I don't wait for a response, I just throw the sketchpad on my bed and dive into my closet.

Where is one of my sweaters? I can't find one!

I don't have time for this.

I throw on a baby blue T-shirt that feels a bit tight but can't worry about that now.

I pull on another pair of white jeans, (these ones have small tears in them, but, again, I have no time to worry about this) and the same tan boots as yesterday.

I run to the bathroom, brush my teeth, rebraid my hair, and thank God that I don't wear makeup anyways.

I grab my bag on the way out and rush out the door, right after going back in to grab my keys.

I leap into the car, shoving the keys in ignition.

It rumbles, but it doesn't roar to life.

"Come on, please not today," I groan in frustration.

I get out, slamming the door shut and keeping my head down as I check the time.

"If I walk fast, I can be there with two minutes to spare," I say a little louder than usual.

"And if you ask your incredibly drop-dead gorgeous neighbor you can get there with ten minutes to spare."

I squeak and jump slightly, looking over to where Jack stands, halfway in his car.

"You forgot humble," I say when I recover. "And having a tendency to scare the crap out of me, what's with that?"

"Do you want a ride or not?" he asks. I stare that him for a second. Jack was wearing dark jeans, a blue T-shirt now, and a leather jacket with the collar popped. He looks like the cliché image of the typical "bad boy," and yet, I can't deny that he doesn't look good.

_What. The. Heck. Elsa, you are _not_ allowed to think these things! Especially about _Jack!

"...Really?" I ask. I am honestly surprised.

"Come on," he says, smiling and stepping into his car, slamming his door shut.

I walk over, opening the door.

I'm about to get in when I pause.

"What?" he asks.

"How long have you been driving?" I ask warily. It's not exactly an unknown fact that Burgess requires drivers to have experience for at least six months before driving anybody other than family.

Jack chuckles, seeming to think of this.

"Get in the car, Elsa," he says, sounding playfully annoyed with my hesitation.

Be late or risk breaking the law.

I need to get to school.

I get in and close the door.

"Nice of you to join, your highness," he smirks as he pulls out.

"Yeah yeah. Thanks for the ride, though," I say sincerely.

"Does your car usually not start?"

"Obviously not, otherwise I'd walk to school a whole lot more," I defend it. "But...that doesn't mean I'm not walking to school often."

He laughs at me, and I glower in the chair.

It's a very uncomfortable silence that hangs in between us, so Jack turns up the radio and I stare out the window.

I am wondering why he isn't picking up Vanessa, I thought that's something that he did, but I guess not, especially if he's leaving at this time.

I decide against commenting, bearing the uncomfortable silence with a brave face.

We pull into the parking lot, and I gratefully dash out of the car.

I just about leave, before I forget something.

"Thank you, Jack," I say, turning around.

He smiles, mocking a salute with his fore and middle fingers.

I turn back and rush into the school.

At least I have ten minutes before the bell.

Maybe, just maybe, an incredibly awkward drive with Jack was worth not being late.

**Hope you're having fun so far, this was written by Pearlness4700, be sure to follow/favorite her as an author! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Eeek! Last chapter written by Pearlness4700, and I'll start writing myself! I literally cannot wait. OH! Also, a fact you should know about me, I never stop a story, I always finish it, somehow, and I, too, HATE authors notes (like, ones with out and chapters afterwards), so don't worry about that! TA-DA:**

School starts out the usual, everyone finds some way to ignore me or pick on me.

Some things just never change.

I sigh and glance longingly at my sketchbook in sixth period. It's been a long day and I really want to go home.

Unfortunately, I still have the rest of the day.

Eventually, school lets out. I just push my way through the crowds and make my way out to the parking lot.

And then I remember that Jack drove me this morning.

"Great," I groan. Now, I have to lug all my books home.

"Better get started," I murmur, hugging my books tight.

Why did my car hate me so much? I swear it's like it specifically doesn't start on the days I need it most.

"Stupid, darn, good-for-nothing piece of junk," I insult my car in my mind. In an imaginary photo, I kick it.

I shuffle along, hoping nobody spots me and decides to harass me, especially since there wouldn't be any school rules to save me. Not that they did much help anyways, but still.

Luckily, I don't drop any of my books, which is a plus.

At that moment, all of my things tumble to the ground as I trip over a tree branch.

Spoke too soon.

I don't fall down along with my books, but, nonetheless, I say, "Curse you."

I lean down and begin to pick up my things. I really, really, really hope nobody sees me.

A car pulls up to the sidewalk and I pray it's not someone I know.

"Have a nice trip?"

I mentally groan and look up to find a very amused Jack.

"Are you kidding me?" I say.

He's still chuckling. The bastard.

"Do you need another ride?"

I am about to open my mouth when he beats me to it.

"Cause it's getting tiring saving you."

I immediately fold my arms.

"I didn't _ask_ you to sa-"

"Get in the car, Elsa," he says, in the same tone as this morning.

"That's-that's fine. Thank you, though."

I pick up the last of my things and heave them along.

I hear a car door slam shut and I look back. I probably shouldn't have.

I nearly drop my things again when someone grabs me by the wrist and drags me to the car.

"Jack," I cry, "what are you doing?"

"Kidnapping you," he responds nonchalantly.

I try to wiggle out of his grasp but it's useless.

"I'm not getting in the car!" I try.

"I could take you anyways."

"I could scream 'rape.'"

"But you won't," he winks at me, grinning wildly and making my urge to slap him grow with every second.

I roll my eyes in defeat, climbing into the car after he opens it like he's a gentleman or something. Yeah, that'll be the day.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"No, I just pick up random people in my car all the time," Jack rolls his eyes and slams the door shut.

I sigh and fumble with the hem of my shirt.

We drive in silence for a little while before someone pipes up.

"Hi."

I gasp in surprise and quickly turn to see who had spoken.

In the back seat, a little girl of age ten or eleven with a mop of brown hair and glittering brown eyes with a toothy smile stares back at me.

"Who are you?" Emma Frost asks.

I blush. "I-I'm Elsa."

"I'm Emma," she smiles. "Are you my brother's girlfriend?"

"No!" I say, feeling heat rush to my face.

"Emma, don't be nosy," Jack scolds, but when I look over at him he's blushing, too.

How embarrassing for him. His little sister think _I'm_ his girlfriend. Poor girl doesn't know that I'm the freak of the school.

"You're pretty," Emma comments, giggling.

I blush again, my glasses slipping down a little. Jack's face reddens even further and he grips the steering wheel, no doubt in frustration.

_Please, Emma,_ I think. _Please shut up. Stop saying things that aren't true!_

"Emma, hush," Jack says.

When we get to our houses, Jack pulls into his driveway. I gladly get out.

Jack tilts his seat forward so Emma can get out and she grabs her pink backpack and runs inside, giggling.

Jack turns to me, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that," he chuckles.

"It's okay, she doesn't know," I say. She doesn't know that it would an embarrassment for Jack to even be seen with me, and he probably just gave me a ride because he felt sorry for me because he's a good person.

"Yeah. Anyways, see you around," Jack smiles.

"Thanks for the ride," I say without smiling back. I'm not really in the mood.

I walk off with my head bowed down, avoiding eye contact with him.

I close the door and immediately head upstairs to finish my homework. Sometimes I had loads of it, and sometimes I didn't. Today happened to be an unlucky day. Hey, so I get straight A's, doesn't mean I enjoy homework.

Sometimes I think that it's all a bit unfair, how we have to have school. I mean, we go through enough, and then they expect us all to go to school as well? School has to be the most stress-related event in our agendas. How is it fair?

I'll tell you, it isn't.

I sigh and set my pencil down. After two hours of straight homework, I'm a bit puckered out.

_Maybe it would be good to go for a walk._

"Maybe," I say aloud.

I grab a scarf and head out.

It's a little chilly in the evening, but not too bad. Maybe I can clear my mind a bit.

I hear a door slam behind me. I turn around to see who it is.

Anna comes running out, a light jacket trailing behind her.

I smile to myself. "What are you doing?"

She stops just in front of me, pulling her coat on.

"What do you think?" She smiles innocently.

"Come on," I hold my arm out to her and she wraps herself beneath it. I hold her close to me, happy to be here with her.

Me and her, against the world.

"Me and you, sis," I whisper somberly.

She notices my tone of voice and smiles back up at me. "Me and you."

We walk together along the sidewalk of the small town.

If someone would see us, they won't think we're orphans. They won't think we are always just like we are as they see us; just the two of us walking alone down a deserted street. From a distance, we look...normal. But we're not.

We've made a few bad decisions, but Anna doesn't let it ruin our lives. When I say Anna, it was Anna who forced me to stop hiding from the world and come out. I'm better than I was, but I still tend to shut it out.

It's a good thing I have Anna, and I'm grateful not-for-the-first-and-most-certainly-the-last time that I do.

Everything is so peaceful, I wish that it could be like this forever.

But peace is like glass.

It's delicate. It can be made to be bulletproof, but no matter how strong you build it, there's always something that can break it.

And in my case, my peace was as delicate as a glass vile. It didn't take much for it to break, but that doesn't stop anything or anyone from hitting it everything they've got.

My glass- I mean, peace, shattered in a thousand shards in less than three minutes.

To some, those three minutes would be like a blink of an eye. But to me, those seconds might as well have been a lifetime.

And they went a little something like this...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm glad you're coming out of your shell, Ells," Anna said, smiling.

"I don't know, though," I responded uncertainly.

"Elsa, the world isn't that dangerous, you can't live if you're too worried about dying."

"I'm not worried about dying..." I trailed off.

"Then what are you so afraid of?"

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't find a reply.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

A car turned down the street, breaking the uncomfortable silence we had settled into.

The car slowed by us, and we both tensed.

"Anna, get behind me," I whispered, since she was closest to the road. Maybe it was nothing but I was-still _am_- wary of the world.

"Ells, I'm sure it's nothing," she protests, but she doesn't sound too sure.

Before she could get behind me, a man dressed in black jumped out while the car was still rolling.

"Anna!" I cried, but before I could do anything, something wet and reeking with bleach hit me in the face, hard, and was held there for a few seconds.

I coughed it away, but by the time I blinked away the tears and could breathe again, the car had already gained too much momentum.

"Anna, no!" I shrieked, immediately starting to run.

Unfortunately, the bleach fumes had my brain confused and I couldn't run as fast as I would have liked.

I grabbed the pencil behind my ear and hurled it as hard as I could at the back of the car, and it embedded itself deep into the center of the 'R' of the license plate.

Wait. No, no, no, the license plate! I couldn't see it anymore!

"No!" I shouted, not caring who heard.

Anna was gone. Anna was gone.

"Anna," I whimpered and fell down in the middle of the road, one hand covering my mouth as I tearlessly sobbed.

I squeezed my eyes shut, as if that could somehow bring Anna back.

"Um, excuse me?" Someone called, the steady rhythm of running feet echoed around the deserted pavement.

I didn't bother looking up from my position.

Anna was gone.

"Are you alright, um, miss?" Someone started to shake me awake and I snapped out of it, my reflexes pushed out and decked whoever it was in the nose.

"Ow! What the-"

"To hell I'm not alright!" I shouted and aimed to punch them again. "What did you do with her you...you-"

But when I saw who it was, we both froze.

"Elsa?" He asked at the same time I said, "Jack?"

"What are you doing here?" We both asked at the same time.

"Okay, stop," we said again.

"This is getting weird," again; in sync.

I shut my mouth closed, waiting for him to speak. Luckily, he did.

"What are you doing here?"

I opened my mouth, but then I realized something.

"Oh my God, you're bleeding!" I exclaimed.

"What?" He brought his hand to his nose and it came back red. "Oh, so I am," he said in almost a fascinated tone.

"Oops," I cringed, remembering that I was the one who had punched him in the first place. In all fairness, I had thought that he was another one of those guys...

"I'm fine. Come on, let's get you home," he said.

I immediately refused.

"No way in hell am I going back home. They took Anna."

I expected him to say, 'who took her?' but he shocked me.

Instead, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I was really hoping you were alone," he said.

"Excuse me?" I asked warily.

"They took her?" He asked.

I nodded.

He cursed beneath his breath, standing up.

I then realized that he was dressed in all black, wearing the same leather jacket as he had been earlier today for school.

With Anna gone, I didn't even come remotely close to thinking that he looked really, _really _hot-

Aw, dammit.

I shook my head, trying to shake out the unnecessary and highly unwanted thought(s).

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, perfectly fine. My sister was just taken by some dudes whom I don't even have a clue about who they are, why wouldn't I be fine?"

"Nightmares," he responded.

"Huh?" I said in a very mature and professional way.

"They were nightmares. Part of Pitch Black's gang."

Pitch Black. That name was familiar. Very familiar... But from where?

"Why would they take Anna?" I asked.

"No idea. Come on, you're coming with me."

This time, I don't refuse his offer. He starts to walk off and I follow.

I'm sure I looked like a mess, but I didn't care. My baby sister had just been kidnapped, for God's sake!

"Where are we going?" I allowed myself to ask.

"To find some help," he responded. "Will your parents care if you're gone for a few days? Don't worry about school-"

"Wait, slow down," I say. "Worry about school? Of course I'm gonna worry about school! How could I not-"

"Wait, you aren't worried about your parents if you leave for a couple days? And don't worry about school, I've got us covered. I'm assuming you're gonna want to come?"

"Of course, and, well, I don't think they'll care too much..." I don't mention that they're not really my parents.

"Okay. Come on, let's go."

After a very stressful drive (and not just because I was worried about Anna) to a city I'd never thought I would ever return to, we made it to a strange looking building.

"Jack," I had said. "Are we at...a dentist's office?"

"Yep," he answered boringly.

"Oh..."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

So that was how I ended up sitting in a dentist's office while my neighbor whom I have very accurate dreams off his multiple deaths (but that little bit's a tad irrelevant, right?) talks to one of the doctors who doesn't look too much older than Jack and I.

Eventually, they come back to me.

"This is Tooth," Jack introduces.

"Hi," the lady says, friendly.

"Hello," I greet respectively.

"So...Jack, you didn't really tell me why you were back," Tooth turns to Jack.

"Yeah, well..." Jack does the same little adorable move where he rubs the back of his neck when he's thinking or upset, or nervous.

Ha...wait...did I just think...oh, never mind!

Tooth groans, face palming herself.

"Come, you two, follow me," she says.

We follow her to the back of the office, where she then leads us up some stairs to what I assume is the living quarters of the building.

"Tooth?" Someone with a very gruff voice asks.

"I've brought visitors," she announces.

"Who in the bloody he-"

Another gruff voice- slightly less so- says, but is cut off when Tooth opens the door, revealing Jack and myself.

Not counting Tooth, Jack, or myself, there stands three people. One is the tallest, a very big man who looks either intimidating or jolly, I can't quite decide, another one is also unusually tall, but not as tall as the man. He looks about Tooth's age. His hair is slightly gray but it doesn't look like it's from age. He's actually quite handsome if I think about it. Then, the final man is short, plump, and dressed in bright yellows. He looks the kindest of them all. Well, except for Tooth. Although, she just looks energetic if anything.

"You," the gray-haired one growls before launching himself at Jack with the speed and agility of a rabbit.

"Whoa," Jack exclaims before getting pummeled to the ground.

I would be enjoying the scene, if I didn't remember something.

So, instead, I sigh and stretch my fingers before launching in and twisting the hand of a certain silver haired boy.

"Ow! Why me? He's the one who started it!" Jack complains as I pull him off and separate the two.

"Well I don't exactly know him," I say matter-of-factly. He gives me a half-hearted glare before turning it full force to the man on the other side of me.

"What are you doing back 'ere?" The man says, with a suddenly noticeable Australian accent.

"Aw, miss me, Bunny?" Jack smirked.

'Bunny' literally growled.

"Fat chance," he spat. "And the name's _Aster,_ get it right ye sorry excuse for a-"

"O-kay!" I say, cutting him off before he can finish a sentence that I'd really rather not hear. "Let's just calm down, here."

Suddenly, the short older man step between them, in my position, except facing Aster.

He started to talk in very fast sign language.

Aster looked a bit lost, but the large older man came then.

"Sandy's right, we need to hear what Jack has come for," he rumbled in a heavy Russian accent.

"Actually," I pipe up. "He's here for me."

They all blink.

"Something happened, involving the, er, Nightmares," I explain, proud that I could recall the name Jack had used for them.

They all seem to shrink back in shock when they hear me use the term. What was so dangerous about these 'Nightmares?' Obviously something bad, as they had kidnapped my sister. But why- or, to be more precise, _what_- in the world would they want with Anna?

"Um, not to be rude, Sheila, but, who are you?" Bunny- er, Aster, asks.

I redden because I suddenly realize that I'm in a room filled with strangers. Side for Jack, but just barely.

Said boy steps in for me.

"This is Elsa. We're gonna help her. And maybe she can help us."

Jack then turns to me.

"That's North, Bunny-"

"Aster."

"_Aster_, Sandy, and you met Tooth."

I nod in greeting, pushing my glasses up a bit.

North, the tall and built man with the long, white beard, comes up to me and gives me a serious look.

"Nice to meet you," he tells me in his Russian accent. "Something very, very terrible must have happened for Jack to bring you to us. I am sorry."

I nod. Smiling somberly, I try to will the sudden tears that had sprung into my eyes back down.

"Who, exactly, are you?" I ask.

This seems to make North's day, as he brightens in every way possible, from his smile, his eyes, even his posture.

"We, my child," he grins, "are Guardians."

**OKEY-DOKEY, LEMON-SMOKEY! I know, that was corny and made no sense, but I AM WHO I AM! Anyways, I'm starting to write now, and I like to pace myself, so take the poll on my profile to see how regularly I should post chapters, and guys, PLEASE LET ME PACE MYSELF, SCHOOL IS KILLING ME TOO! Yea, sorry about that, I'll just go back to writing now… **


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